Welcome to Camberwell Guide

1086 Domesday Book mention of Ca'brewelle and St Giles Saxon church
1152 St Giles church rebuilt in stone

1615 Wilson's school founded (moved out of London in 1975)
1665 Great Plague - over 100 residents died
1674 Parishioners formed vestry (local council until

1739 Map of Friern Manor (British Museum) showed Camberwell Green
1745 John Rocque's map of Camberwell showed:
Rainbow lane (now Southampton Way)
Lamastee Lane (now Wyndham Road)
Walnut Tree Grove (now Camberwell Grove)
1748 Camberwell Hall built
1769 Blackfriars bridge opened, linked Camberwell to city, led to new building
1775 Walnut Grove (later Camberwell Grove)

1779-80 Lettsom's villa, Grove Hill (demolished 1890s)
1782 Tollgate set up near Walworth Common (Westmoreland Rd)
1786 Old St Giles church expanded

1789 Plan of Camberwell Green showed Camberwell Green farm facing Green
1790 Queen Lane (now lower part of Grove Lane)
1791 Map of Friern Manor
Chroniclers: Lyson, Manning & Bray on Camberwell

1801 Census for parish of Camberwell - 7,059
1809 History of Surrey written by Manning
1801-11 Grand Surrey Canal (now Burgess Park)
1812 Robert Browning born in Rainbow Cottage, Cottage Green, off Wells Way
1818 Camberwell New Road developed
Beresford Street Chapel built (now ruined)
Print of Dr Lettsom’s Grove Hill house

1819 Grove Chapel (Roper) built
1821Chumleigh Gardens - Female almshouses
1823 Attempt by Camberwell Vestry to close down Camberwell Fair, failed.
John Ruskin (aged 14) moved to 28 Herne Hill
1824 St George's Church, Wells Way

Robert Browning moved to Hanover Cottage, Southampton Way ?
1825 Denmark Place Baptist Church built
1827 First Vestry building, Havil St
1835 Horse drawn Omnibus service introduced from Camberwell

Modern Camberwell

Edwardian Camberwell
1900 Borough of Camberwell established
Colour-tinted postcard of Camberwell Green

1901 Census for parish of Camberwell - 259,339
1902 North Camberwell Library, Wells Way
Hermit's Cave public house
1905 Lyndhurst Junior School built
1907 Ruskin Park established
1910 Camberwell Green Peabody Trust flats built
1912 Cinematography Theater, Cam New Rd, opened
1913 Kings College Hospital built by WA Pite

Camberwell in WW1

1915 Maudsley Hospital built
1916 Camberwell New Rd and Camberwell Gate stations closed
1917 Zeppelin air raid on Calmington Road (now in Burgess Park) killed 12 people.

1920’s Camberwell

1927 Grove House Tavern rebuilt

1930’s Camberwell

1932 William Booth Memorial Training College built by Giles Gilbert Scott
1934 Camberwell (now Southwark) Town Hall built
1939 Empire rebuilt as Odeon cinema (by Mather - closed 1975, now Foyer Centre)

1940’s Camberwell

1943 Plan for Burgess Park, open space required, slum clearances

1950’s Camberwell

1954 Champion Park estate opened (on site of Ruskin's house)
1959 Sceaux gardens Estate- early example of high rise build

1960’s Camberwell

1960 Camberwell School of Arts extension built
1961 HJ Dyos' Victorian Suburb published (in depth study of Camberwell)
St Giles Trust founded
1964 Wyndham Estate built
1965 Kings College Dental hospital opened
Camberwell Borough became part of expanded Southwark Council
1967 St Giles Vicarage demolished to make way for St Giles Centre
1968 Kings College Extension high rise block opened

1970’s Camberwell

1970 Grand Surrey canal closed.
Camberwell Society formed.
1971 Magistrates Court, Camberwell Green, opened
1974 Burgess Park named

1980’s Camberwell

1982 Selbourne Estate built by Wates ?
1984 Denmark Hill station rebuilt after 1980 fire
Chumleigh Gardens restored in Burgess Park as World gardens

1990’s Camberwell

1995 Foyer homeless centre set up by Centrepoint

Further reading

Ye Parish of Camberwell - WH Blanch (1875)
Old Camberwell - Philip Mainwaring Johnston (1919)
Victorian Suburb: A Growth of Camberwell - HJ Dyos (Univ of Leicester 1961)
Story of Camberwell - Mary Boast (Southwark Libraries 1996 rev ed)
Battle of South London - Arthur B Woolf (1945?)

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Camberwell Guide
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Abbey Wood Anerley & Penge Beckenham Bermondsey Bexley Blackheath Borough Brixton Brockley Bromley Camberwell Catford Charlton Croydon Crystal Palace Deptford Dulwich Village East Dulwich Elephant and Castle Eltham Forest Hill Greenwich Herne Hill Kennington Lee Lewisham New Cross Old Kent Road Peckham Rotherhithe Southbank Sydenham Walworth West Norwood Woolwich	Originally Camberwell was a small village in the county of Surrey. Medieval Camberwell 1086 Domesday Book mention of Ca'brewelle and St Giles Saxon church 1152 St Giles church rebuilt in stone Stuart Camberwell 1615 Wilson's school founded (moved out of London in 1975) 1665 Great Plague - over 100 residents died 1674 Parishioners formed vestry (local council until Chroniclers: John Aubrey on Camberwell Georgian Camberwell 1739 Map of Friern Manor (British Museum) showed Camberwell Green 1745 John Rocque's map of Camberwell showed: Rainbow lane (now Southampton Way) Lamastee Lane (now Wyndham Road) Walnut Tree Grove (now Camberwell Grove) 1748 Camberwell Hall built 1769 Blackfriars bridge opened, linked Camberwell to city, led to new building 1775 Walnut Grove (later Camberwell Grove) 1779-80 Lettsom's villa, Grove Hill (demolished 1890s) 1782 Tollgate set up near Walworth Common (Westmoreland Rd) 1786 Old St Giles church expanded 1789 Plan of Camberwell Green showed Camberwell Green farm facing Green 1790 Queen Lane (now lower part of Grove Lane) 1791 Map of Friern Manor Chroniclers: Lyson, Manning & Bray on Camberwell No 23 Champion Hill built by Michael Searles Regency Camberwell 1801 Census for parish of Camberwell - 7,059 1809 History of Surrey written by Manning 1801-11 Grand Surrey Canal (now Burgess Park) 1812 Robert Browning born in Rainbow Cottage, Cottage Green, off Wells Way 1818 Camberwell New Road developed Beresford Street Chapel built (now ruined) Print of Dr Lettsom’s Grove Hill house 1819 Grove Chapel (Roper) built 1821Chumleigh Gardens - Female almshouses 1823 Attempt by Camberwell Vestry to close down Camberwell Fair, failed. John Ruskin (aged 14) moved to 28 Herne Hill 1824 St George's Church, Wells Way Robert Browning moved to Hanover Cottage, Southampton Way ? 1825 Denmark Place Baptist Church built 1827 First Vestry building, Havil St 1835 Horse drawn Omnibus service introduced from Camberwell Victorian Camberwell 1837 Cary’s map of London 1840s Champion Lodge demolished and Champion Hill developed 1840 Allport's History of Camberwell 1841 Census for parish of Camberwell - 39,868 Old St Giles Church burned down 1842 Map of Camberwell (J Dewhirst) Spring Song (originally Camberwell Green) composed by Mendelssohn 1844 New St Giles Church (George Gilbert Scott) 1847 John Ruskin moved to 163 Denmark Hill 1851 Thomas Tilling omnibuses (Peckham-centre) 1852 Wren Road church built on site of 'old house on the Green' 1855 Last Camberwell Fair 1859 Camberwell Green opened as a public park Cecil Sharp - born Denmark Hill 1861 Census for parish of Camberwell - 71,488 Old Bowyer Manor House demolished (near Castlemead) 1862 Camberwell New Rd station (Station Rd) opened (closed 1916) Camberwell Gate station (John Ruskin St) opened (closed 1916) 1863 Royal Flora Gardens closed (Wyndham Rd) 1866 Denmark Hill station opened 1872 Ruskin moved out of Camberwell (due to new railways spoiling his view) 1873 New Vestry Hall, Peckham Road 1875 Blanche's history of Camberwell published. Written at 55 Denman Rd. 1876 St Marys Church, Camberwell New Rd, built Mary Datchelor's school opened 1889 Cambridge House mission established 1891 Census for parish of Camberwell - 235,344 Cavalry Temple, Cam New Rd, built South London Art Gallery built Camberwell Baths built 1896 Camberwell School of Arts & Crafts built 1899 National Westminster Bank, 17Camberwell Green built (now surgery) Modern Camberwell Edwardian Camberwell 1900 Borough of Camberwell established Colour-tinted postcard of Camberwell Green 1901 Census for parish of Camberwell - 259,339 1902 North Camberwell Library, Wells Way Hermit's Cave public house 1905 Lyndhurst Junior School built 1907 Ruskin Park established 1910 Camberwell Green Peabody Trust flats built 1912 Cinematography Theater, Cam New Rd, opened 1913 Kings College Hospital built by WA Pite Camberwell in WW1 1915 Maudsley Hospital built 1916 Camberwell New Rd and Camberwell Gate stations closed 1917 Zeppelin air raid on Calmington Road (now in Burgess Park) killed 12 people. 1920’s Camberwell 1927 Grove House Tavern rebuilt 1930’s Camberwell 1932 William Booth Memorial Training College built by Giles Gilbert Scott 1934 Camberwell (now Southwark) Town Hall built 1939 Empire rebuilt as Odeon cinema (by Mather - closed 1975, now Foyer Centre) 1940’s Camberwell 1943 Plan for Burgess Park, open space required, slum clearances 1950’s Camberwell 1954 Champion Park estate opened (on site of Ruskin's house) 1959 Sceaux gardens Estate- early example of high rise build 1960’s Camberwell 1960 Camberwell School of Arts extension built 1961 HJ Dyos' Victorian Suburb published (in depth study of Camberwell) St Giles Trust founded 1964 Wyndham Estate built 1965 Kings College Dental hospital opened Camberwell Borough became part of expanded Southwark Council 1967 St Giles Vicarage demolished to make way for St Giles Centre 1968 Kings College Extension high rise block opened 1970’s Camberwell 1970 Grand Surrey canal closed. Camberwell Society formed. 1971 Magistrates Court, Camberwell Green, opened 1974 Burgess Park named 1980’s Camberwell 1982 Selbourne Estate built by Wates ? 1984 Denmark Hill station rebuilt after 1980 fire Chumleigh Gardens restored in Burgess Park as World gardens 1990’s Camberwell 1995 Foyer homeless centre set up by Centrepoint Further reading Ye Parish of Camberwell - WH Blanch (1875) Old Camberwell - Philip Mainwaring Johnston (1919) Victorian Suburb: A Growth of Camberwell - HJ Dyos (Univ of Leicester 1961) Story of Camberwell - Mary Boast (Southwark Libraries 1996 rev ed) Battle of South London - Arthur B Woolf (1945?)
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